Update on
- My digital camera got messed up at the Florida/USC game on Saturday and I will not have it for another week…that is why there has been no pictures posted on the site .Sad. These pictures above our from October when he was 13 months old (we still had not done a lot of unpacking)
- After talking to my friend whose dad is a dentist, we have started to brush
- He really understands everything I said and now likes to run away from me at stores. Jackson copied Charlie and shouted, “Jesus!” the other day with a smile.
- When I ask him to hug me…he does!
- He tries to feed himself by dipping his spoon into his yogurt…but he misses a lot
- He loves Southern Gospel music…
- He is super friendly and says “hey” to everyone and waves. People tell me that he is the happiest little boy they have ever seen. The other day we were at the DMV and he tried to give everyone his Cheerios. I pray and know that God will use his friendliness and love of people to reach many people for Christ.
- It seems like he always has a virus. The other night he kept on swallowing mucus and he was very upset about it. We went in the bathroom and sat in the steam of the shower to try to break up the mucus. It worked well and then I did something I have never done. I laid hands on him and prayed in Jesus’ name that He would heal him. I prayed in faith and he slept through the night and was healed…no more mucus! Was this wrong for me to lay hands on him? I did it in faith and honestly for God’s glory and so we can go to church and do ministry. Doesn’t the Bible say anything that you ask in Jesus name, by faith, and for His glory you will have? What do ya’ll think about this? Has anyone actually laid hands on their little one in prayer?
- King Herod died because, “Herod did not give praise to God” (Acts
- Listening through Acts in the dramatized NIV version really shows how Paul preached. He did not make some nice little suggestions, he preached. He was yelling for people to repent and be saved.
- Peter also preached very urgently. He clearly explains that God made “no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith” (Acts 15:9). God actually purifies our hearts…I guess I have never really dwelled on that phrase.
- Lord spoke to Paul in one specific vision where he told Paul to “not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.” Acts 18:9. Seems like a lot of Christians today are silent about Jesus - me included
- In the Bible Study I am doing at the church, the author asked us if we have accomplished our goals for this year. Sometimes our goals can be selfish but one of my goals is every year is to reach/disciple 5-10 women a year. Sad to say I think I can name 5 but not 10. Why is it so hard for stay at home moms to evangelize/reach people? Is it because all we are focused on all day long is just surviving our day?
3 comments:
I lay hands on my kids when they are sick. God heals us - His children - so I know that He wants to do the same for ours. I hope he is doing better.
Emily, your goal of 5 to 10 women, is that your goal or is it God's goal for you? I ask because sometimes we set up our goals as noble as they are but they are not God's plan for us. Did that make sense? Remember that every time you go to the store, the park, the library, or wherever, you have the opportunity to plant a seed of life in someone by just your presence and smile. Remember that God uses the least of everything for his greatness. I want to reach as many women as God puts in my path. Admittedly as a homeschool mom I do spend a tremendous amount of time focused on my kids but I also try to make sure that I am pouring into someone. And when you blog, don't forget you are reaching everyone who reads. Many blessings! I love reading your blog.
God certainly wants all believers to pray because it increases our faith and helps us to die to ourselves and depend on him. God does heal and answers prayers all the time However, what I am talking about here with laying hands on Jackson is more the gift of healing. I was not very clear about that in this post! Would a believer say that my experience was that God just simply answered my prayers or that I had the gift of healing through God? I am comfortable saying that God gave Paul and other disciples the gift of healing so that others may believe. But, all those passages never say that all believers will receive this gift (nor do they say they won’t), in fact, very few people in the Bible had this gift. I would say now looking back that laying hands on Jackson and praying in Jesus’ name was an answer to prayer and not that I am some magical healer that can raise people from the dead. The laying on of hands on him to me made it more definite than saying “oh lord please heal him.” In my conclusion, I think mothers should pray with more authority and in Jesus’ name, and maybe even lay hands on their children. I just wanted some of the women who read my blog to dialogue/tell me their experiences with this. I do not think what I did was wrong at all, in fact the opposite. I prayed in faith and with the authority of Jesus’ name. I knew that God would heal him so that my faith would be increased and so that I could give God all the praise and glory (and so through this testimony others would know Him). Prayer also has to do with how you view God. Do we think we deserve for our children to be healed from sickness? I do not think we deserve anything. We are all born sinners and born into a sinful world. Suffering is a part of sin’s curse brought on the world through man. Jackson gets sick because of sin – it’s a part of life. I guess sometimes I feel bad always praying and asking God for things that might not matter in eternity, such as Jackson’s physical health. Jesus said it is better to lose one’s life on earth and have eternal life in Heaven then to die healthy but lost. Plus, Jackson’s sickness could be a conduit to helping someone know Christ (nurses, doctors, etc.) – not that God ‘made’ Jackson sick…just that He allowed it and what we do with our suffering matters to God. He doesn’t want us sulking, he wants us to use our situations to glorify Him.
I think one of the reasons that Jesus tells a man to not even go home and tell your family “bye”, is that he knows us so well and he knows that we might use “making family a priority” (which it should be) an excuse to not even have a plan on how to reach people/make disciples. I think if you do not have a plan, you are planning to fail. My plan is to target 4th grade girls this year. I plan to find out all about them and present the Gospel to them. Now God might change that plan, but he sees my heart and knows I am trying. I know he will make it clear to me by shutting and opening certain doors. I have really had to pray hard about a plan of action. So, I do think everyone needs to pray and really think hard on a plan. I think there is such a huge need for women and girls to be ministered to. A wise woman at seminary told me once that you have time for what you want to have time for. If it is that important to us, we will make time and find a way. The joy of leading someone to Christ and to eternity is right up there next to marrying Charlie and giving birth to Jackson….it is the fight of faith. But I know what you are saying. I said when I graduated college that I would never go back to school, and what did I do 3 months later….I went to seminary. Sometimes you can take things into your hands too much, but I believe every Christian no matter what there situation should at least attempt to reach people and make disciples with some sort of action steps. I do not think it is ever outside of God’s will to have a plan to reach/disciple people. Paul had many plans to reach people – sometimes God changed his plans through shipwreck, etc. but his plan to go to Rome gave him the consistency and determination to follow through. If you pray over the plan, God will use it for His glory and shut doors that are not in his plan. Do you agree?
Thank you so much for reading the blog. I love having comments and discussion!
Emily, you know either way Jackson was healed and if it was through a gift of healing or through just prayer with authority doesn't matter really. Either way it is a testimony of God's healing, you know? But you made a very important point. We as parents don't pray with authority enough. And your point about deserving is right on. We do not deserve anything, that is what makes God's grace so perfect. I hope my thoughts are coming across, I am just a bit too tired to be coherent I think. I know that God uses my kids illnesses for His glory every time we go to the Dr. because we get to witness to him every time we go in. One of my munchkins was so seriously ill - they still don't know what was wrong - and we prayed and she was healed. We got to talk to him about how we prayed and God an answered our prayers.
I love that you have a heart for 4th graders. I do agree that we need to reach others. I don't know if it always needs to be planned though at least in the real structured sense that you are saying. I am not reaching that many people right now. I do not have that many people currently in my path. However, if I am at the park or library or wherever and God allows a conversation to start I will absolutely take that opportunity. I think it is more about praying for those opportunities to happen than a plan of, I am going to reach this many people in this amount of time.
I don't know I guess I have always been one to pray for opportunities than to plan. When I was in junior high ministry and children's ministry at church, I guess it was much more planned during that time.
I hope that all came across the way I am thinking it. I am really tired right now.
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